Two men in Montenegro are accused of having the audacity to illegally build a weekend house and two bungalows inside a protected national park.
According to Montenegrin news outlet Vijesti, police have filed criminal charges against both men for building in the Biogradska Gora National Park.
This isn't an "oops, I didn't see the sign" situation. One suspect allegedly built his three structures in 2021. The other guy apparently saw this, thought it looked like a great idea, and built another weekend house in the same area in June 2025.
This is happening in a country that literally recognizes itself as an "ecological country" in its constitution. It's like setting up a Walmart in the middle of Yellowstone.
The police directorate's statement, quoted by Vijesti, made it clear they've had enough.
"Police officers of the Regional Security Center 'North,' Berane Security Department, in accordance with planned activities and in accordance with national priorities for the protection of nature and the environment, have undertaken activities in the fight against environmental and economic crime and filed criminal charges against persons for illegal construction in the national park zone," it read.
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So ,why all the drama over a few cabins? Because it's not just a few cabins. It's a massive, widespread problem. A 2012 study on illegal development in Montenegro found an estimated 130,000 illegal structures in the country.
These aren't just shacks; they range from "slums to luxurious residences" and even "large hotels." When this happens, it threatens the "special natural beauty" that communities and the national economy rely on.
This kind of blatant disregard for protected land isn't just a Montenegro problem. It's infuriatingly common. In New York, one contractor was just fined $121,000 for illegally building a parking lot on protected wetlands. After ignoring warnings for nearly a decade.
In Nigeria, authorities are cracking down on illegal mining, arresting 10 suspects who were defying a government ban in a protected zone. And in Australia, a landowner who illegally cleared native plants was slapped with a $15,000 fine.
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These actions show that, slowly but surely, the hammer is coming down on those who choose not to respect protected ecosystems.
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